SALEM, Va. - Christopher Newport University opened the 2022 NCAA Division III Softball Finals Thursday by holding off Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) by an 8-6 final margin at the Moyer Sports Complex. The Captains, top-ranked in the country and the top seed in the eight-team final, improved to 43-1, setting the new program record for victories in a season.

Christopher Newport, now with a 20-game winning streak, scored twice in the third and fourth innings, and then added four more in the fifth to open an 8-2 lead. The Engineers stormed back by plating four of their own in the sixth, but fell short in their comeback effort.

CNU will now play Berry College of Georgia in a game scheduled for Friday at 4:30 p.m. Thursday's victory over WPI came in the first meeting ever of the programs, and Christopher Newport has also never met Berry in softball action. The Vikings, the fifth seed in the final field, are 35-11 after knocking off fourth-seeded Texas Lutheran University, 5-1, in Thursday's second game of the day. 

Christopher Newport and WPI opened the day under cloudy skies with a light mist in the air and cool temperatures. Freshman Kate Alger got the start for Keith Parr's team, while the Captains faced WPI's top starter, Katie Martin. Both pitchers got off to good starts, allowing no runs through the first two frames. The Engineers drew first blood in the top of the third when Sydney Russell singled home Lindsay Ambrosino to give WPI a 1-0 edge.

The Captains surged ahead with two runs in the bottom of the third on back-to-back home runs from seniors Caitlin Abernethy and Bailey Roberts. The home runs came with two outs, and the shot to center by Abernethy was her first of the season, and just the third of her career. Roberts' blast was her 13th of the year, and 29th career, and cleared the fence in left-center field to make it 2-1 CNU.

The Engineers tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the fourth when Kallie Case homered to left field off Alger, who exited after completing the fourth frame. The Captains again answered with two of their own in the bottom of the frame, as sophomore Katie Currin opened the inning with a single, stole second, and then came home on a single by senior Caroline Helmer to put the Captains back in front. Senior Maddie Hool delivered a run-scoring single later in the inning, plating senior Natalie Carmichael with the fourth CNU run of the game.

It looked as though the Captains would be able to pull away thanks to a four-run fifth inning. After freshman lefty Jamie Martin entered in the circle and set the Engineers down scoreless in the fifth, the Captains went back to work at the plate with Abernethy leading off with a walk and Roberts delivering a double to left. With two on, senior Kaitlyn Hasty came to the plate and smacked a single to right scoring both Abernethy and pinch runner Caroline Pollock to give the Captains a 6-2 advantage. Sophomore Brooke Greaver reached base on a single, and freshman pinch hitter Meredith Brickner was called on and connected on a two-run single, scoring both Greaver and pinch runner Bianca Palmer-Scott to push CNU's lead to 8-2.

The Engineers would again not go quietly, answering CNU's four-run inning with one of their own in the sixth. Jocelyn Diaz and Shaina Lazarus delivered the big blows, both registering two-run home runs off Martin to cut the lead to 8-6. Martin would recover, retiring five of the last six batters she faced, and earning her second save of the season as she wiggled out of trouble in the seventh to end the game.

WPI hit just 13 home runs this season, but cracked three long balls Thursday to stay close. Three of the five hits the Engineers posted were home runs. It marked just the fifth time this year the Captains have given up six or more runs. Christopher Newport ended up with ten hits, led by Roberts' three-for-four day at the dish (home run, double, and single). The two CNU home runs by Abernethy and Roberts now give the Captains 72 on the season, most ever in program history.

Alger earned the win for CNU, improving her record to 14-0 on the season. She allowed just two runs on two hits over her four innings of work while striking out six and walking just one. Katie Martin of WPI took the loss to fall to 25-7, and Jamie Martin of the Captains recorded her second save of the year by hurling the final three frames. A crowd of 522 watched the Captains win their 43rd game of the year, one more than the 2010 CNU squad that finished 42-10, the previous high for victories in a single season.

Friday's schedule is set to begin at 11:00 a.m. with Texas Lutheran playing WPI in the first elimination game of the finals. At 1:30 p.m., a second elimination game will be played and then the CNU/Berry battle is set for 4:30 p.m. Rain is in the forecast for Salem on Friday, so check with CNUSports.com for continuing updates on the Captains quest for a National Championship in Salem.